Recent Publications

Central Asian Security Trends: Views from Europe and Russia
April 1, 2011 — Author: Dr Stephen J Blank The war in Afghanistan has added considerably to the strategic significance of Central Asia due to its proximity to the conflict. Moreover, the continuation of the war increasingly involves the vital interests of many other actors other than the U.S. and NATO forces currently there. This monograph, taken from SSI's... MORE

Hard Power and Soft Power: The Utility of Military Force as an Instrument of Policy in the 21st Century
April 1, 2011 — Author: Dr Colin S Gray Power is one of the more contestable concepts in political theory. In recent decades, scholars and commentators have chosen to distinguish between two kinds of power, “hard” and “soft.” The former is achieved through military threat or use, and by means of economic menace or reward. The latter is the ability tohave influence... MORE

Resolving Ethical Challenges in an Era of Persistent Conflict
April 1, 2011 — Author: COL Tony Pfaff The character of irregular warfare has challenged the American “way of war” in a number of ways. Not only does it challenge how U.S. forces fight, it also brings into question the ethical norms that they employ to govern the fighting. The resulting confusion is especially evident in the public debate over the use of force in... MORE

Army Strong–Really?
April 1, 2011 — Author: COL Charles D Allen The author outlines the past, present, and future of the Profession of Arms.It would be easy to discount the conjecture that the U.S. Army is in trouble. After all, we are unmatched as a fighting force and were successful in conducting military operations for regime change in two countries in the space of 18 months. Our... MORE

Other People’s Wars: PLA Lessons from Foreign Conflicts
April 1, 2011 — Authors: Mr Daniel Alderman, Mr Joe Narus Key Insights:• The Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has not fought in a major war since 1979, but has studied the lessons of modern foreign conflicts from throughout the world. In some cases, those lessons have resulted in observable changes to the PLA’s strategic, tactical, or operational posture.•... MORE

A Colloquium on U.S. National Security Policy, Military Strategy: Understanding the Environment for Contemporary Warfare
April 1, 2011 — Authors: Mr Dave Lewis, Dr Steve Maxner, Dr Dennis Patterson Key Insights from this colloquium are:• Establishing and continuing a collaborative dialogue between traditional academic institutions and disciplines and the nation’s next generation of senior officers is not just beneficial, it is essential to U.S. national security.• Scholars in... MORE

Improvised Explosive Devices in Iraq, 2003-09: A Case of Operational Surprise and Institutional Response
April 1, 2011 — Author: Brigadier Andrew SmithSurprise is a familiar term in military writings and is enshrined in most nations’ doctrine. Surprises that emerge in tactics, however, can also operate at the strategic and operational levels and are particularly dangerous because they can test the relevance and adaptability of military forces and the "institutional"... MORE

Reforming Military Command Arrangements: The Case of the Rapid Deployment Joint Task Force
March 1, 2011 — Author: Mr Henrik Bliddal Our national security system turns our overall capabilities into active assets, protects us against the threats of an anarchic international system and makes it possible to exploit its opportunities. Today, however, the system is arguably in dire need of reform. Much remains in the dark about how the organizations that... MORE

Profession of Arms Study Trust Review
March 1, 2011 — Author: COL Charles D Allen Since trust is the coin of the realm for an Army in a democratic society, it is important that as the Profession of Arms study proceeds that it includes a broad exploration of just what exactly the Army as profession means by the concept of trust.Read Now MORE

Civilian Skills for African Military Officers to Resolve the Infrastructure, Economic Development, and Stability Crisis in Sub-Saharan Africa
March 1, 2011 — Author: Ms Diane E Chido For decades, a lack of economic opportunity has caused instability and violence in Sub-Saharan Africa. Fortunately, U.S. Africa Command (USAFRICOM) is in a unique position to increase stability and reduce the causes of violence and extremism through new partnerships and military-to-military training. The current training... MORE

India in Africa: Implications of an Emerging Power for AFRICOM and U.S. Strategy
March 1, 2011 — Author: Dr J Peter Pham This monograph examines India’s rapidly expanding network of influence in Africa. The author analyzes the country’s burgeoning public and private investments in the region as well as its policies vis-à-vis African regional organizations and individual states, especially in the security sector. After reviewing the historic... MORE

Russian Military Politics and Russia’s 2010 Defense Doctrine
March 1, 2011 — Author: Dr Stephen J BlankThese three papers represent the third monograph to come out of the SSI-U.S. State Department conference “Contemporary issues in International Security,” that took place at the Finnish Embassy in Washington, DC, on January 25-26, 2010. This monograph consists of three deeply probing essays into the genesis of Russia’s 2010... MORE